Dinesh Karthik Credits IPL And Domestic Structure For India’s Revolution In Pace Bowling

Indian batsman Dinesh Karthik has credited the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the India ‘A’ structure for the growth of pace bowlers in India. India is generally considered a spin-dominant team but the recent rise in quality fast-bowlers has changed that view.

In the first Test against England at Trent Bridge, Indian pacers picked up all the 20 English wickets that fell which goes to show how strong the fast-bowling attack has become. Speaking about the same, Dinesh Karthik felt that the IPL is one of the biggest reasons.

“I’d place the IPL and the robust India ‘A’ structure at the top of the pile for India’s pace revolution. A couple of good IPL stints pitchfork them into India ‘A’ contention, where Rahul Dravid and Paras Mhambrey sharpen their skills and entrust them to Ravi Shastri and Bharat Arun, the bowling coach of the senior team.”

“Cricket being a winter sport in India, bowlers would snaffle wickets in helpful conditions but were found wanting at the highest level. Thanks to the IPL and India ‘A’, they are able to cross the bridge that much faster,” Karthik stated.

Dinesh Karthik cites Prasidh Krishna’s development as an example

Plenty of bowlers have come up through the IPL – Chetan Sakariya, Mohammad Siraj, and Shardul Thakur to name a few. Karthik cites the example of his KKR teammate Prasidh Krishna to stress his point.

“Just to drive my point home. Prasidh Krishna is my teammate at Kolkata Knight Riders. He did well for Karnataka, but it was how he shaped up in the IPL which caught the attention of the selectors and the team management.”

“I would go so far as to say that the last Indian pacer to emerge from beyond the IPL landscape was Mohammed Shami, back in 2013,” he asserted.

Karthik is currently part of Sky Sports’ broadcast group that is covering the 5-match Test series between England and India.

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